“Once an Eagle is simply the best work of fiction on leadership in print.” —General Martin E. Dempsey, 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Required reading for West Point and Marine Corps cadets, Once An Eagle is the story of one special man, a soldier named Sam Damon, and his adversary over a lifetime, fellow officer Courtney Massengale. Damon is a professional who puts duty, honor, and the men he commands above self-interest. Massengale, however, brilliantly advances by making the right connections behind the lines and in Washington's corridors of power. Beginning in the French countryside during the Great War, the conflict between these adversaries solidifies in the isolated garrison life marking peacetime, intensifies in the deadly Pacific jungles of World War II, and reaches its treacherous conclusion in the last major battleground of the Cold War—Vietnam. Now reissued with a new foreword by acclaimed historian Carlo D'Este, here is an unforgettable story of a man who embodies the best in our nation—and in us all.

“Beautifully written. ...A masterpiece. .... Myrer’s descriptions of firefights are by far the best I have read.” - George S. Patton - MG, U.S. Army

“Remarkable . . . utterly engrossing. Myrer is a superb storyteller.” - New York Times

“An ambitious, magnificently vivid novel...compelling. The battle scenes are among the finest I have ever read.” - The Atlantic

“Myrer was an excellent storyteller...Once An Eagle is that very rare thing, a genuine ideological novel. When one of these becomes standard issue to the Corps of Cadets we would be remiss if we ignored it.” - New York Review of Books

“A powerful, provocative and strongly-written novel...and an implied warning to the nation...One hopes that the Chiefs of Staff in Washington will read it with care.” - Cincinnati Enquirer

“Accurate and appealing. The most brilliant and moving description of men in battle I have read... Truly a great book.” - Hugh B. Hester - BG, U.S. Army

“At long last we have what critics have been saying was lost to modern novels--an honest-to-God hero...a natural.” - Harpers

“I fully understand why Once An Eagle has become a classic novel of war and warriors. Sam Damon doesn’t preach, he lives his values and they are universal not only military.” - General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, US Army Retired - Commander in Chief Desert Storm

“I would pick up Once An Eagle rather than Norman Mailer any day for a clue as to what is going on in Vietnam.” - Baltimore Sun

“In ironic contrast, the story moves from jungle warfare to drawing rooms on the Potomac, and back again...Goes to the heart of our century.” - Chicago Sun-Times

“Inspects down to thier most elusive motives those who have to make the agonizing command decisions.” - Providence Journal

“Inspired me...the essence of being a good man, soldier, officer and leader...the standard, the pride, the motivation...We are all better men because of Anton Myrer.” - David L. Grange - BG, U.S. Army

“Never read anything that depicts army life and the battlefield with such deep appreciation...superb account...artistry and sensitivity.” - Eugene A. Salet - MG, U.S. Army

“Once An Eagle has been the literary moral compass for me and my family of soldiers for more than two generations. It’s ethical message is as fresh and relevant today as it was when Anton Myrer wrote it during the war in Vietnam.” - Robert H. Scales - MG, U.S. Army Commandant U.S. Army War College

“Once An Eagle is truly a classic. It caused us to reflect on core values...one of the key ingredients to the success we now enjoy. Sam Damon has been and will be a beacon of moral and physical courage for young American warriors.” - Henry H. Shelton - General, U.S. Army

“Once An Eagle may be America’s War and Peace and Anton Myrer a contemporary Tolstoy.” - Louisville Courier Journal

“Reflects skillful research in military areas as well as technical mastery of the writing craft...Through the gentle but courageous character of Damon, Myrer graphically describes the criminal, dirty, wasteful, savage immorality of war...The Army career man will look on it as a monument.” - Denver Post

“Required reading...at the Army War College...a classic of military literature and a guide to honorable conduct in the profession of arms.” - Douglas V. Johnson I - LTC, U.S. Army

“The author’s description of the military mind and muscle at work in combat and out are quite realistic...reading this book will be a great experience for those who haven’t experienced what the author writes about so colorfully.” - David M. Shoup - General, USMC

“The most outstanding novel I have seen in long years. And it is far and away the best work of fiction with a military background I have ever read.” - Journal of the Armed Forces

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